Are expensive software licenses a problem for the softwares used by architects?

Can you please include the following in your answer: - Are the free alternatives (if any) good enough to get the job done? - What are the other alternatives possible (include student versions, trial versions etc.)?

Trials and student versions explicitly say that they are not to be used for commercial use. Commercial licenses are a big deal(financially) for all firms. They're just part of the cost of doing business.